Prefabricated housing



E. B. WILSON ?REFABRICATED HOUSING May 6, 1941.

Filed oct. '29, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 m. G. F

FIG.

May 6, 1941- E. B. wlLsoN 2,240,592

PREFABRI CATED HOUS ING Filed oct. 29, i938 s shuts-sheet 2 l I 1s z3 i 1 1 5e 1NVENTOR. Enw/N /RD W/sa/v May 6, 1941. E. B. wlLsoN PREFABRICATED HOUSING Filed oct. 29, 193s 5 sheets-sheet s FIG.5

, ATTORNEY.

May 6, 1941 E. B. wrLsoN 2,240,592

PREEABRICATED HOUSING Filed oct. 29, 1958 5 sheets-sheet 4 INVENTOR. EDw//v 3l/2n W/sa/v ATTORNEY.

May 6, 1941' E. B. WILSON 2,240,592

PREFABnI CATED HOUS ING Filed Oct. '29, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 lNvENToR. EDw/N Buzz; W/Lso/V BY v ATTORNEY.

PetentedMny. 6, 1941'- UNITED vS'I'YI'ES V PATI E`. l\i'l" OFFICE v 2,240,592 rnamnrca'rnn nousnic.'A Edwin Bini wilson, Forest ninas. r. application 'october vzo, 193s, 'serial No. 231,639

, .s oisans. (ci. 18s- 1) This invention relates' to new'and useful 'im-x provements in' building construction, and particularly to improvements in sti-called prefabricated houses. i A l It is the object ofthe present invention to provide for an easily assembled prei'abricated structure that will have great structural strengthl even without the customary frame work.

lWith this object in view I assemble a lbuilding l of al number of relativelylla'rge and self-sustaining bodies or units, e. g., sheet steel cylinders which intersect and interlock with other similar bodies to form adjacent rooms, the enclosed overlapping areas automatically providing storage rooms, bath rooms, kitchens, and other service4 purposes.

Thev cylinders or other units may intersect either literally, by means of notching as hereinafter described, or virtually by reason of the continuation of the' line of one perimeter through another perimeter which crosses such line.

If properly anchored and braced, such interlocking cylinders'will constitute a strong and permarient structure, although none of the usual frame work is provided. VThe walls of such a structure serve not only for the purpose of enclosing the rooms andl service areas, but to a. great extent also for the purpose served in the customary building by the steel or wooden frame work.

Preferably though not necessarily each steel cylinder is placed within a second cylinder spaced and braced with respect tothe first cylinder, The

intervening space is nlledwith insulating m'aterials or, under some conditions, the dead air between the cylinders may give sumcient insulation.

While the self-sustaining bodies have been referred to as cylinders made of sheet steel, they can also be made of `other metals as well as other materials, e. g., compacted cellulose fibers, synthetic resins and of numerous other plastic substances, and their shape can be altered as desired. The steel cylinders or other units out of which the building is assembled are formed from dat sheets punched or stamped with 'all notches, window and door openings, service inlets, etc., the extreme ends of sheets being brought together and welded or otherwise securely fastened together.

'-From the standpoint of cheapness of construction, theideal arrangement is to construct the self-sustaining room units, e. g., a cylinder. com-y pletely in the assembly plant, with -doors and windows finished and even book shelves, closets, bath ever, owing to thesise of the complete unit, it may be necessary to distort the cylinders into long el- -lipticals for shipment, restoring them to required shape at the site. Where a large number of houses are constructed in one closely knit development, a

.temporary assembly plant for such units could be instance, a cylinder can be divided into two halves Y or four quarters and these then butt-welded or otherwise fastened together on the job into a complete cylinder. Similarly, flat sections can be assembled into square rooms. Obviously, sectional units could be completely prefabricated at the factory. even to most of the equipment, painting, finishing inside and out, etc. In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view oi one of the two principal units of my construction before assembly;

Fig. 1a is a perspective view of the other of the two principal units of my invention. e

Fig. 2 isa top' plan view of a three-unit assembly;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section;

Fig. 4 is a: horizontal cross-section illustrating the mounting of the units;

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section illustrating the roof structure;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of a typical layoutj o v Fig. 7. is a. front elevation of al modiiied assembly;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view 7; and l Fig. 9 is a sectional View along line 8-9 of Fig. '1.

The principal unit of the construction shown in Figs. 1-6 consists of a self-sustaining body, such as an open-ended cylinder of sheet steel or other along 'une a-a of Fig.

. suitable material, The cylinder is provided with notches 2 and l extending from'the top edge down to the midpoint of thecylinder. These notches y 2 and 3 may be any distance apart, depending on the size and shape of the -cooperating unit andl 4 the room layout desired. AA second unit 4 is provided with notches 6 and 6 extending from its bottom edge up tothe midpoint. The spacing between notches i and 6 will be the same as the spacing between notches 2 and 3.

Two such units may be assembled by lifting cyl..

v-inder 4 above cylinder 2 so that notches 5 and 6 will register with notches 2- and 3, and then pushin g the cylinder 4 down into. the notches 2 and 3 until the top edges of the two cylinders are iiush.

two 8A and 9 are rectangular. Obviously, any other shape may be adopted, and the reference in this specification to a cylinder is not intended to ex- Each of the unitsI clude other geometric forms. 1, 8 and 9 consists of two concentric cylinders I0, Il, I2, I3, I4 and I5, interlocked as explained in connection with Fig. 1. 'I'he space between concentric cylinders like I0 and II may be lled with suitable insulating materials except where windows, doors, or other openings are cut in the walls. The spaces enclosed by interlocking bodies, i. e.,

I6, I1, may be used for service rooms, e. g., closets,

bathrooms, kitchen, storage space, etc., and the balance of the space within each body is used as a room. A typical layout using four cylindrical units is shown in Fig. 6 which is self-explanatory. Referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, I shall explain the manner in which steel cylinders like'.

I0 and II are mounted and anchored.

I9 are columns, and 20 is a concrete footing on which a number of steel rafters 2 Iv of any suitable shape are set. The inside cylinder II is set within the notch 22, cut in the upstanding rib 23 of the rafter, the lower edge of the cylinder I'I being slotted at 24 to straddle the'rib 23 between the bottom of notch 22, so that the cylinder will be seated on the rafter 2l. Similarly, the outer cylinder is seated in a notch 25 provided in the rib 23, and its lower edge is slotted at 26 to straddleA the unnotched portion of the rib.

The notch 22 is wide enough to receive a steel upright brace orstudding 21, by means of which slot such as 36 cut. in the rafter,and extending from the top of the rib down to approximately the midpoint thereof, cooperates with a notch cut in the opposite direction through the head and bottom part of the rib of the intersecting rafter.

Wherever rafters, studding, room units, etc., intersect, they may be insulated from one another or' welded to one another, depending on the specific requirements to be met.-

'I'he ceiling is substantially a duplicate of the flooring and is built on steel rafters I0 which contact with the 'tops of the upright studs or braces of the room unitsand brace and interlock them in thef same manner as rafters 2|. Sheets of steel or other'roong material 4I may be provided on top of the roof rafters or trusses, and sheet steel or other ceiling material may be attached oni'thebottom ofthe rafters to form a nished ceiling. Space between roof andceil-` ing sheets is utilized for insulation and conduits,

electric wires, etc. The upper ends of the cylinders II and I2 are held between sheets of ex-v pansion material 42, 43 and steel hoops 44, 45'.A

'I'he latter'is provided with a flange 46 interlocking with a sheet of steel 41 forming part of the roof proper.

In order to facilitate the transportation of the prefabricated sections of the structureand to A'permit the use of light gauge steel sheets, the

construction illustrated in Figs. 7 to 9 may be adopted to makeup parts or lall of the structures illustrated in the other figures.-

In accordance with this modification, the building is divided into panels or sections of various types and of widths, say 2, 3, 4`feet, or even wider. One panel 60 may contain a window 6I with frame prefabricated, another panel 62 may be prefabricated with a complete door 63, and a the inner and outer walls are spaced from one another and which cooperate in the bracing of the structure. It will be seen, therefore, that the rafters or joists on which the-bodies are seated serve also to brace and interlock these bodies.

In addition to the cylinder II and the angle studding, the notch 22 encloses also a layer of expansion material 28 and a steel hoop 29 parallel with the inner cylinder II'. 28 and 29 extend all the way down to the joist, the lower end of 29 being slotted. Similar layers of expansion material 30 and a steel hoop 3| are provided in the notch 25 outside of the cylinder I2.

- An expanded metal web 32 is placed over and fitted between rafters 2l and is covered with a layer of concrete 33 as is usual in oor construction. This layer of concrete, as Well as flooring third type of panel 64 may be just a flat wall.

Each of these panels, as best shown in Figs. 8 and'9, consists of two sheet steel walls 65 and V6.6 parallel with one'another and spaced as de- .One section is held against the adjacent section by a bolt 69 projecting through the vertical channel Blof one, and the corresponding channel 10 of thel adjacent section. The bolt 69 is slotted at its end' which projects from the channel 10, and a tapered pin -1I may be driven through the slot to hold the bolt 59 in place. The space between the channel members 61, 10 may be lled with a wood spacer block 12. The seams made covered with a strip of steel or other suitable material 13, to provide a pleasing. finish.

34 placed on top of it, extends all the way to the sections in the plant.

As in the previously described structures, the

space between the parallel walls of the panels :jmay be lled with insulatlngmaterial and it may `contain suitably fastened to the walls conduits 14, electrical cables 15, 'and'the like. The sections can be fully assembled and partly or completely painted or decorated in the assembly. plant, and other xtures such as electric outlets 1li, radiators 11, and the like, attached to the While in Figs. 7 to 9 I have illustrated flat sections suitable for 'making up rectangularrooms, it will be obvious from the foregoing that these sections may be curved and constructed to make vup rooms of any shape. For instance, if

it is desired to make up rooms of circular crosssection, the walls and the stliening channels will, of course, have to be fabricated to the re quired radius.

The side walls are set in an inverted channel 80 set in a hot bituminous layer in a groove of al concrete foundation 8|. Horizontal rigidity is given to the structure by oor joists 82 clipped to the walls at the vertical channel members by suitable attaching means 83.

Roof girders 84 are notched as indicated at 85 to ilt over inverted channel 81 covering the top of the wall, preferably at suitable intervals where they will engage the tops of vertical channels joining the wall panels'. The girders 84 are also preferably provided in alignment withthe vertical channel members and are fastened-thereto -by suitable means 86 projecting through 'the channel 81.

What is claimed is: l. In a prefabricated building structure, *a

' centric bodies, and a plurality of rafters on which all said bodies are seated and by which they are braced vand interlocked.

6. In a prefabricated building structure, a plurality of self-sustaining steel sheet cylinders open at both ends having oppositely directed cooperat..

I -ing slots by means of which they are interlocked plurality of self-sustaining bodies having oppositely directed cooperating slots by means of which they are interlocked in partially overlapping relation, the main area within each.

body serving as a room and the overlapping areas of adjacent bodies as service rooms, and a plurality of rafters on which said bodies are seated and by which they are braced and interlocked.

f 2. In a prefabricated building structure, a plurality of self-sustaining cylinders having oppositely directed cooperating slots by means of which they are interlocked in partially overlapping relation, the main area within each cylinder serving as a room andthe overlapping areas of adjacent cylinders as servicel rooms, and a plurality of rafters on which said cylinders are seated and by which they are braced and interlocked.

3. In a prefabricated banding Stroe-ture, a plurality of self-sustaining bodies open at their tops and bottoms, and having oppositely directed cooperating slots by means of which they are interlocked in partially overlapping relation, the main area within each body serving as a room and the overlapping areas Iof adjacent bodies as overlapping relation, the main area Within each cylinder serving as a room andthe overlapping areas of adjacent cylinders as service rooms, and

in. partially overlapping relation, the main area within each cylinder serving as a room and the overlapping areas of adjacent cylinders as service lrooms, a second self-sustaining sheet steel cylinder concentric with each of said cylinders, insulating material Within the spaces between concentric cylinders, and a plurality of rafters contacting with the top and bottom edges of said cylinders and by which they are braced and interlocked.

7. In a prefabricated building structure, a plurality of self-sustaining steel sheet cylinders hav ing oppositely directed cooperating slots by means of which they `are interlocked in partially overlapping relation, the main area within each cylinder serving as a room and the overlapping areas of adjacent cylinders as service rooms, a second cylinder concentric with each of said plurality of cylinders, insulation in the spaces between concentric cylinders, a plurality of T rafters on which said cylinders are seated with slots in the lower ends of the cylinders straddlingthe upstanding correspondingly slotted ribs of said rafters, the slots in said ribs straddling said cylinders, a layer of expansion material applied to the outside surfaces of the concentric cylinders at the bottoms thereof,- a sheet of steel covering each sheet of expansion material, and flooring contacting with the last-mentioned sheets of steel.

8. In a prefabricated building structure, a plurality of self-sustaining bodies having oppositely directed cooperating slots by means of which they'are interlockedin partially overlapping relation, the main area within each body serving as a room and the overlapping areas of adjacent bodies as service rooms.

EDWIN BIRD WILSON.' 

